The Internet Edge: Social, Technical, and Legal Challenges for a Networked World [Hardcover]

Mark Stefik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1999

The "Internet edge" is our collective struggle to change as the world becomes more connected. Turmoil at the Internet edge occurs around interacting social, legal and technological realms. Examples include issues of on-line privacy, censorship, digital copyright and untaxed business competition over the Net. Such issues reflect conflicts between values - local and global, individual and corporate, democratic and non-democratic. The book is an eagle's eye view of the Internet edge. It is about the experiences of those who encountered similar issues as they built precursors to the Net such as videotext, teletext and the Source. It is about the trends in technology that will make the Net of the next few years a very differenct experience from the desk-top surfing of today. It is also about how old myths of magic, power and control can help us to understand our fascination with and fear of new technologies.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's hard enough keeping up with today's advances in technology without worrying about tomorrow's--but that's always where the action is. Xerox PARC scientist Mark Stefik gets paid to think about and act on future technology, and his fascinating, enjoyable report, The Internet Edge, shows us what we're becoming as our information technology gets more ubiquitous and transparent.

Suits and nerds alike will love his pragmatic, brainstorming style that reaches back into our technological history to make sense of the road ahead. Chapters cover portability, digital commerce, publishing, privacy, and more, examining changes in the breadth of our social experience as well as our work lives. What will libraries look like in 10 years? What will "trust" mean in a world of instant information access? Will we ever stop watching television?

Stefik addresses these questions and goes beyond them to ask about the meaning of rapid change in our lives: how will we cope? He presents a convincing picture of a culture struggling with inevitable transformation, with thousands of small changes absorbed but not fully understood. Change is always stressful, even the many new Net-derived benefits he describes. Our best hope to survive the transition is deeper analysis of what's happening to us and why, which you'll find in The Internet Edge. --Rob Lightner

About the Author

Mark Stefik is a Principal Scientist and Manager of the Human Document Interactions Area at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and adjunct member of the Secure Document Systems area. He is the author of Internet Dreams (MIT Press, 1996).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mit Pr; 1St Edition edition (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026219418X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262194181
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,522,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not for everyone, March 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Internet Edge: Social, Technical, and Legal Challenges for a Networked World (Hardcover)

For the technically enlightened "The Internet Edge" is a really well written survey of the topic. For the layman, it's a slog but worth the effort. For a fresh look at what it all means through the the lens of a more user-friendly media, try reading Jerry Furland's outstanding novel "Transfer-the end of the beginning".